Automatic railway gate



June 29 1926. 1,590,260

S. N. SMITH AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE Fil-ed March 5, 1925 s sheets-sheet 1 l INVENTOR M BY Ju'ne 29 1926.

, s. N. SMITH AUTOMATIC RAILWAY 'GATE i s sheets-sheet 2 Filed March s. 1925 v h- 1 l .llnllallllllll lllwlll' ATTORNEY June 29 1926.

s. N. SMITH AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE s A.. A

. ATTORNEY a het 3 In 1 HDMI YPatented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES snlvrunn Non-MAN SMITH, on LYNoHBunef, VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE.

Application` filed March 5,. 1925. Serial.' No., 13,316'.

rllhis invention relates to an automatically operated railway gate, partioulanly adapted; tol be installed at grade crossings where the traiiic is not heavy enough to warrant; 1- the employment of a gra-teA tender.

rllhe general object of the invention is to5 provide a gate which will remain normally closed, but which maybe opened by an automobile on other vehicle when. it approaches thecrossing, unless a train is in the block, in which ease a. devicey is actuated for posi tively locking' the gate until the train has left the block.`

For attaining" the foregoing results, various: novel instrumentalities have been devised,- the structure and operation of which will be fully described,` in connection with the accompanying drawings, which il-l'ustrate the same in their preferred form.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isa pla-n view illustrating the installation of the invention at a grade cross- 111g'.

Figure 2 is: a plan view of one of the gates and mechanism foractuating in the same being showny on an enlarged scale.`

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2'.,

Figure 4 is a` vertical section takenat night angles tothe planeof Figure;I 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the mechanism for' delaying the actuation of the gate.

In carrying out the invention, a gate is installed at each side of the railroad track, anchas shown in Figure 1, extends across the right hand half of the roadway immediatel-y in front of the track. Each gate comprises. two bars 10, which, when the gate is closed, meet or overlap at the center, as shown in Figures. 2 and 3. Each ofthe bars is secured at itsy outer end to a shaft 11,. which i-s journaled in alfined bearings 12 at the top of a pair of posts 13 which are securely mounted at the side of the roadway, or at the center line thereof, as: the case may be. A dni-m14 is secured to the shaft 11 between the alined bearings 12, and is suitably protected from the weather by a hood 15 secured to the tops of the posts 13. A cable 1v is secured atits upper end to the drum, and at its lower end is secured' to one end of a bar 17 which extends transversely of the roadway, the other end of the bar being supported by a similar cable 16.

The bar 17; is secured underneath the upper end of an inclined platform 18,. the lower end of which is mounted for rocking" movement in a cavity 19; extending transversely of the road'. i

Beneath the platform-18 there is formed a pit 20, with-inwhich is: secured a baseblock 21 for supporting a cylinder 222., or a: plurality of such cylinders. The cylinder 22 has ears 23 secured to its lower end, and: pixv. otally supported on a pivot pin 24 mounted in the block 21. A piston 25- ismounted for reciprocationwithin the cylinderl 22,. and has a piston rod 26 pivotally cormected at its-upper end, as shown at 2:7, to a4 block 28 secured to the underside of the platform 18. A packing; gland 29? surrounds-the piston rod 26 to; prevent leakage.

Suitable weights 3.0 are secured to each gate bar 10 which over-balance the weight of the platform 18, and;` normally hold the gate closed, as shown fulllines in Fig-,ure 3; When, however,A an automobile or other vehicle is driven onto the platform 18, its weight applied to the drumsv 14, through the medium of the cables, 16, overcomes the effect of the weights 30,. and swings the gatev bars upwardly, as indicated by dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4. A stop bar or curb 3,1' is preferably formed on the upper face of thel platform 18 to indicate where the vehicle should stop. The cylinder 22 is` adapted to contain oil or other liquid, as indicated at y32, tof retard the move-ment of the piston 251, and p-revent the platform 18; from dropping too` suddenly, and to.y compely the veh-icle to come to a stop before the gate is opened.

A small pipe 33 leads from the lower end of the cylinder 22 to an auxiliary cylinder 34, which is connected by a small pipe 35 to the upper end ofthe cylinder 22, so that when the weight of the platform and vehicle acts upon the piston 25, the liquid 32 is gradually forced out of the lower portion of the cylinder to permit the piston to descend. The liquid is supplied to..V the cylinder 22 by means of a tille-r'pipe 36, `which is provided at its outerend with a cup 3.7. A check valve 36a is i-nterlmsedv in the pipe 36 in order tol prevent the liquid from being forced; hack when the piston 25 is forced downwardly. l

In order to further retard the movement of the. gate, the flow of liquid through the pipe 33 is opposed by a plunger 38 slidably mounted n a hollow stem 39Ywithin the auxiliary vcylinder 34. The plunger 38 is urged toward the lower end of the cylinder 34 by anV eXpansileV coiled spring 40, the

upper end of which is seated in a cap 41 adapted to be adjusted vertically by a screw 42, thereby adjusting the tension of the spring. The lower end of the stem 39 has a port 43 normally covered by the plunger 38, but adapted to be uncovered when the plunger is forced upwardly by the pressure of the liquid when it is forced through the pipe 33. The stem 39 also has a number of smaller ports 44 toward its upper end through which the liquid may escape into the upper end of the cylinder 34, and thence through the pipe into the upper end of the cylinder 22. Thus, it willlbe seen that upon the application of downward pressure to the piston 25, due to the weight of the vehicle on ythe platform 18, the liquidv 32 is gradually transferred into the upper end of l the cylinder 22, permitting the piston 25 to descend and open the gate.

valve 45, located in the pipe linef35, is normally open, butV when a train -approaches the crossing, this valve is automatically closed,

thereby preventing the transference of the liquid 32, and as a consequence positivelyk preventing the descent of the piston 25 and the opening of the gate. The position of the valve 45 is controlled by` means of a lever 46 intermediately secured to the valve` and normally held in a position to ,open the valve by Va weight 46a suspended from one end-of the lever.

In order to close` the valve'45 when a train approaches, a section of track, extending for a suitable distance to either side of the crossing, is bonded together and separated from the remainder 0f the track by insulation or a gap47 to formf'ablock. A solenoid r48, mounted within the pit 20, is connected to the respective rails of the block by acircuit which includes wires 49 and 50, and a batteryV orv other sourceof electric energy 51.V The core of the solenoid 48 is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 52, which isintermediately fulcrumed on a pedestal 53 within the pit 2O, and is connected at its other end by alink 54 to the lever-4G at the end opposite'to theweight 46a. As the Vtrain enters the block, the wheels and axles thereof complete the circuit through the wires 49 and 50,*and Vthe solenoid 48 actuates the lever 52 and consequently the lever 46, to close the valve 45to prevent the transference ofthe liquid 32, and thereby prevent the actuation Vof the gate until the train has left the block. f

In addition to the mechanism provided for automatically actuating the gate by the weight of the vehicle,it is preferred to provide means for manually actuating the same if desired. This means includes a rock shaft 55 journaled horizontally beneath the platform` 18, and provided with a crank 56 which normally lies against the surface of the roadway; yAn arm 57 extends laterally from the shaft 55, and is connected kby a link 58 to a block 59, which is secured to the under side of the platform 18 adjacent the block k28. The crank 56 then may be lifted manuallyto depress the platform 18, and t0 actuate the gate in the same manner as if a vehicle were driven onto the platform. vA suitable door 60 ispreferably provided to afford access to the pit 20 for replenishing the liquid inthe cup 37, or for making any repairs which may be necessary.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the gate at either side of the crossing is normally closed. -As the motorist approaches the crossing from either direction, therefore, he is confronted by a closed gate, and will naturally slow down kas She approaches the platform 18. The vehicle is then driven slowly onto' the platform 18 until the front wheels reach the ridge 31.. If the screw 42 has been properly adjusted, itpwill be necessary for the vehicle to pause in this position for a few moments while the. piston 25 gradually.

moves to the bottom of thecylinder 22'and raises-the gate bars 10, and if a train has entered the block defined by the insulation or gap 47, the valve 45 is closed and they gate will not open to permit the vehicle to pass until the train has left the block. It will be seen, therefore, vthat the gate is positively and effectively controlled without thepresence rof a gate tender.

While I have shownand described in considerable detail the specific construction and operation of the invention in itslpreferrcd form, it is, of course, obvious that various modifications may be devised in the form and relative arrangement of thel various instrumentalities which cooperate to effectthe desired result. It is, therefore, myV purpose to include within the scope of the appended claims all such modifications which mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. In avdevice of the character described, the combination of'a crossing gate normally closed, a platformin frontof the gate, mechanism operable under normal conditions by the weight vof a vehicle von the platform to open the gate,-liquid controlled means for retarding the action ofthe opening mechanism, and means cooperating therewith for Lacasse automatically locking the platform and gate against movement when a tra-in is near the crossing.

2. In a device of the character described, the combina-tion of a crossing gate normally closed, a platform operable under normal' conditions by a predeterminedv weight on@ the platform to open the gate, means for reta-rding thek action of the 4opening, mechanism wit-hout 'adding materially to the weight required to open the gate, and means actuated by a train, when: it approaches the crossing, to cooperate with the retarding means and' lockl the platform and gate against movement.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate ynormally closed, a platform in front of the gate and depressible by the weight of a vehicle, mechanism operable to open the` gate upon depression of the platform, a cylinder normally containing liquid and having a restricted outlet, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder and connected to the platform for retarding the depression thereof, and means for stopping the passage of the liquid through the outlet to positively prevent the depression of the platform and the opening of the gate when a train is near the crossing.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate including a bar normally extending transversely above the roadway, a horizontal rotatably mounted shaft to which the bar is secured, a drum secured to the shaft, a platform suspended at one end from the drum and depressible by the weight of a vehicle to rotate the drum and swing the gate bar upwardly, liquid control means for retarding the movement of the platform and the consequent movement of the gate bar, and mea-ns cooperating with the retarding means to lock the platform and gate against movement when a train is near the crossing.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate including a bar normally extending transversely above the roadway, a horizontal rotatably mounted shaft to which the bar is secured, a drum secured to the shaft, a platform suspended at one end from the drum and depressible by the weight of a vehicle to rotate the drum and swing the gate bar upwardly, a cylinder adapted to contain liquid and having arestricted port, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and connected to the platform to retard the movement of the latter, and means operable when atrain is near the crossing to positively prevent the expulsion of. the liquid from the cylinder, thereby locking the piston, platform and the gate against movement.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a crossing gate, including a bar normally extending transversely above the roadway, a. horizontal rotatably mounted shaft to which the bar is secured, a drum secured to the shaft, a'platformr suspended. at one endl from the drum and depressible by `the weight of a: vehicle to rotate` the drum and-swing the gate bar upwardly', liquid controlled means for normally retarding Vthe depression of the platform, and means for controlling the liquid to positively' prevent said depression when a train near the crossing.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate normally closed, a platform in front of the gate, means operable upon depression of the platform! to open the gate, a verticallydisposed cylinderk beneath the platform adaptedV to contain liquid, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and in supporting relation to the platform, a restricted passageway Vconnecting the lower end of the cylinder with'its upper end, and means operable when a train is near the crossing to stop the circulation of liquid through said passageway, thereby preventing the movement of the piston, platform and gate.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate normally closed, a depressible platform in front of the gate, means operable upon the depression of the platform to open the gate, a vertically disposed cylinder beneath the platform adapted to contain liquid, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and in supporting relation to the platform, means normally permitting the gradual expulsion of the liquid from beneath the piston as the piston and platform are depressed to open the gate, and means automatically operable to prevent said expulsion when a train is near the crossing,

9. In a. device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate normally closed,a depressible platform in front of the gate, means operable upon depression of said platform to open the gate, avertically disposed cylinder beneath the platform adapted to contain liquid, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and in supporting relation to the platform, a restricted passageway connecting the lower end of the cylinder with its upper end and permitting the gradual transference of the liquid from the lower end of the cylinder to the-upper end as the platform and piston are depressed, and means automatically operable to prevent such transference and thereby prevent the opening of the gate when a train is n-ear the crossing.

l0. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crossing gate normall closed, a depressible platform in front of the gate, means operable upon depression of the platform to open the gate, a vertically disposed cylinder beneath the platform adapted to contain liquid, a piston reciproeable in said cylinder and in supporting relation to the platform, a restricted passageway connecting the lower end of the cylinder with its upper end, a Valve controlling said passageway, alever secured to the Valve, a weight connected to one end of Vthe lever and normally actuating the lever to hold the valve open, and means connected to the other end of the lever and automatically operable to close said Valve when a train is near the crossing. Y

l1. In a device of the character described, tbe combination of a crossing gate normally closed, a depressible platform in front of the gate, means operable upon depression of the platform to open tbe gate, a vertically disposed cylinder vbeneath the plat-form adapted to contain liquid, apiston reciprocable in said cylinder and in supporting relation to the platform, a restricted passageway connecting the lower end of the cylinder Vwith its upper end, a Valvel controlling said SAiuUiaL NORMAN sMrTH, 

